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Come Home
Jill Farrow is a typical suburban mom who has finally gotten her and her daughter's lives back on track after a divorce. She is about to remarry, her job as a pediatrician fulfills her---though it is stressful---and her daughter, Megan, is a happily over-scheduled thirteen-year-old juggling homework and the swim team.
But Jill’s life is turned upside down when her ex-stepdaughter, Abby, shows up on her doorstep late one night and delivers shocking news: Jill’s ex-husband is dead. Abby insists that he was murdered and pleads with Jill to help find his killer. Jill reluctantly agrees to make a few inquiries and discovers that things don’t add up. As she digs deeper, her actions threaten to rip apart her new family, destroy their hard-earned happiness, and even endanger her own life. Yet Jill can’t turn her back on a child she loves and once called her own.
But Jill’s life is turned upside down when her ex-stepdaughter, Abby, shows up on her doorstep late one night and delivers shocking news: Jill’s ex-husband is dead. Abby insists that he was murdered and pleads with Jill to help find his killer. Jill reluctantly agrees to make a few inquiries and discovers that things don’t add up. As she digs deeper, her actions threaten to rip apart her new family, destroy their hard-earned happiness, and even endanger her own life. Yet Jill can’t turn her back on a child she loves and once called her own.
371 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2012
About the author
Lisa Scottoline
125 books14.5k followersLisa Scottoline is a #1 bestselling and Edgar award-winning author of 33 novels. Her books are book-club favorites, and Lisa and her daughter Francesca Serritella have hosted an annual Big Book Club Party for over a thousand readers at her Pennsylvania farm, for the past twelve years. Lisa has served as President of Mystery Writers of America, and her reviews of fiction and non-fiction have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Philadelphia Inquirer. She also writes a weekly column with her daughter for the Philadelphia Inquirer entitled Chick Wit, a witty take on life from a woman’s perspective, which have been collected in a bestselling series of humorous memoirs. Lisa graduated magna cum laude in three years from the University of Pennsylvania, with a B.A. in English, and cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where she taught Justice and Fiction. Lisa has over 30 million copies of her books in print and is published in over 35 countries. She lives in the Philadelphia area with an array of disobedient pets and wouldn’t have it any other way.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,162 reviews
February 5, 2020
Painfully lengthy, extremely sentimental, low writing, repetitive words. Could have been a rocking one for the plot was good enough! But it failed at so many levels that the plot alone couldn't save it.
Disappointed!!
Disappointed!!
March 17, 2014
This book was horrible. If I could give no stars, I would. I had to laugh at another reviewer say that they wanted to throw the book. I wanted to throw it and burn it. If I saw that the main character "say" the word, "honey" or "sweetie" one more time, I really was going to throw the book.
The other dialogue was bad, too. No one talks like the way the characters did. I almost threw up at some of the phrases the author used, like when talking about the one annoying, clueless stepdaughter "practically fell into [the EX stepmother's] arms." this girl was an adult, not a three year old, for crying out loud. SO dramatic.
The connection that Jill had with two EX step daughters was bizarre. I understand still having a connection, but she seemed obsessed, not to mention obtuse.
I can honestly say this is quite possibly the worst book I have ever attempted to read.
And who had the bright idea of using a young kid on the cover running to someone when all three of the kids were actually a lot older?
The other dialogue was bad, too. No one talks like the way the characters did. I almost threw up at some of the phrases the author used, like when talking about the one annoying, clueless stepdaughter "practically fell into [the EX stepmother's] arms." this girl was an adult, not a three year old, for crying out loud. SO dramatic.
The connection that Jill had with two EX step daughters was bizarre. I understand still having a connection, but she seemed obsessed, not to mention obtuse.
I can honestly say this is quite possibly the worst book I have ever attempted to read.
And who had the bright idea of using a young kid on the cover running to someone when all three of the kids were actually a lot older?
April 14, 2012
I was a Lisa Scottoline fan for many years, reading the next book in the Benny Rosato series as soon as it came out. That series, and her stand-alones, were dependably entertaining, some more compelling than others, but an author I would always pick up for a fun read. But Scottoline didn't seem to know how to end the Rosato Law Firm series, pulling her main character into ever-weirder scenarios (the evil twin, the live burial).
"Come Home" is a stand-alone, with new characters and a plot that begins promisingly: How far does an ex-stepmother take her affection for stepdaughters she hasn't seen in some time, and whose father was a thief and a liar? For the first half of the book, I was hooked on the mystery and details of Jill Farrow's life and her dilemma--how far do I want to go to re-connect with two young women I once loved but whose lives are a mess?
Then--Scottoline succumbs to Mystery Writer Disease. Normally sensible people start doing idiotic things, endangering themselves and alienating others. There are shoot-outs and car crashes and chase scenes. A break-up. A boring explanation of how someone can be a shyster, but not, technically, a criminal. A bedside reconciliation. The last 30 pages of the book are nearly unreadable. The final twist. The "girl power." The tears. Yuck.
"Come Home" is a stand-alone, with new characters and a plot that begins promisingly: How far does an ex-stepmother take her affection for stepdaughters she hasn't seen in some time, and whose father was a thief and a liar? For the first half of the book, I was hooked on the mystery and details of Jill Farrow's life and her dilemma--how far do I want to go to re-connect with two young women I once loved but whose lives are a mess?
Then--Scottoline succumbs to Mystery Writer Disease. Normally sensible people start doing idiotic things, endangering themselves and alienating others. There are shoot-outs and car crashes and chase scenes. A break-up. A boring explanation of how someone can be a shyster, but not, technically, a criminal. A bedside reconciliation. The last 30 pages of the book are nearly unreadable. The final twist. The "girl power." The tears. Yuck.
July 20, 2012
Blather. I am listening to this book, and I would like to find out who killed the ex-husband. But, it is torture. All of the characters are whining constantly. The daughter Megan's dialogue is more like a toddler, and she is supposed to be in middle school. 2/3 through the book and there are hardly any clues to murder. Very disappointing. I can't even believe Scottoline got this book published. Doesn't she have an editor?
July 6, 2018
I couldn't put this book down! It had a little bit of everything-car chases, bad guys, shootings, undercover agents etc. Some of the dialogue was a little silly between Jill and her ex-stepdaughters. Jill seemed a little too perfect to me and the contradiction is that sometimes she wasn't nice to the people around her( Megan, Sam, and boss, Sheryl).
December 1, 2013
The only reason I finished this book is because I wouldn't feel right writing such a negative a review of a book I hadn't actually finished. But as I kept reading, my opinion of the book (which started out pretty bad) just got worse and worse.
Where to begin? The mystery at the core of the book isn't terrible, but it's thinly presented and full of holes. That's not the real problem, though. The real problems are the characters (who behave in ways that make no sense whatsoever) and the dialogue (which is simply atrocious).
My negative opinion of the book started out when the main character, Jill, goes running out into the rain because she heard her ex-stepdaughter Abby call out her name. Nobody else can hear this, but she magically has Ears of Love that let her hear things nobody else can when it involves somebody super-special like her ex-stepdaughter (although she hasn't seen her in three years and has essentially no idea whatsoever what's been going on in her life, even though she's been stalking her regularly on Facebook -- ooh, modern technology incorporated seamlessly into the plot, isn't that clever!). Not only that, but she somehow knew that Abby (who, remember, she hasn't seen in three years) would show up and has been waiting and hoping for it. Er, what?? Then Abby tells her that her father (Jill's ex) was murdered -- and instead of asking any questions whatsoever about when and where he was killed, she brings her inside and puts her to sleep in her daughter Megan's bed, in Megan's nightgown. Meanwhile, her douchebag fiance has already decided that if Jill cares about Abby, she can't possibly care enough about him. None of this really makes any sense, and the writing and dialogue makes it even less sensible. From there, it just spirals into a less and less coherent mishmash of soppy melodrama, ridiculous amateur sleuthing and self-endangerment, and improbable plot development.
Stay away. Stay far away. Don't waste your time or money on this one.
P.S. As I was scrolling through my book list, I noticed that I had also given "Save Me," one of her other recent novels, one star, and a nearly identical review (silly plot, one-dimensional characters who behave nonsensically, ridiculously inept protagonist who nevertheless manages to solve a deep, dark mystery all by her little lonesome). Everything down to the totally misleading cover art was the same. Now I get it. Don't read Lisa Scottoline books any more. Her earlier legal thrillers were pretty good, but this new genre is just lame and bad.
Where to begin? The mystery at the core of the book isn't terrible, but it's thinly presented and full of holes. That's not the real problem, though. The real problems are the characters (who behave in ways that make no sense whatsoever) and the dialogue (which is simply atrocious).
My negative opinion of the book started out when the main character, Jill, goes running out into the rain because she heard her ex-stepdaughter Abby call out her name. Nobody else can hear this, but she magically has Ears of Love that let her hear things nobody else can when it involves somebody super-special like her ex-stepdaughter (although she hasn't seen her in three years and has essentially no idea whatsoever what's been going on in her life, even though she's been stalking her regularly on Facebook -- ooh, modern technology incorporated seamlessly into the plot, isn't that clever!). Not only that, but she somehow knew that Abby (who, remember, she hasn't seen in three years) would show up and has been waiting and hoping for it. Er, what?? Then Abby tells her that her father (Jill's ex) was murdered -- and instead of asking any questions whatsoever about when and where he was killed, she brings her inside and puts her to sleep in her daughter Megan's bed, in Megan's nightgown. Meanwhile, her douchebag fiance has already decided that if Jill cares about Abby, she can't possibly care enough about him. None of this really makes any sense, and the writing and dialogue makes it even less sensible. From there, it just spirals into a less and less coherent mishmash of soppy melodrama, ridiculous amateur sleuthing and self-endangerment, and improbable plot development.
Stay away. Stay far away. Don't waste your time or money on this one.
P.S. As I was scrolling through my book list, I noticed that I had also given "Save Me," one of her other recent novels, one star, and a nearly identical review (silly plot, one-dimensional characters who behave nonsensically, ridiculously inept protagonist who nevertheless manages to solve a deep, dark mystery all by her little lonesome). Everything down to the totally misleading cover art was the same. Now I get it. Don't read Lisa Scottoline books any more. Her earlier legal thrillers were pretty good, but this new genre is just lame and bad.
June 19, 2013
if I had to torture a prisoner, I'd make them read this book.
May 2, 2019
Another above-average, intriguing Scottoline mystery! This one was probably one of my least favorites of hers, but with that being said, it was still better than most books that garner a 3 Star rating from me. This one read with lightning speed pace, like most LS books, and I really wanted to get this one in as fast as I could...I needed to find out what the heck was going on!! I will say I was a bit surprised by how things ended here, but found myself a little unsatisfied as well. The problem with LS is that I hold her to such a high standard that it's almost impossible to top some of her previous books I've read. I will tentatively say had this been any other author I might have given this one 4 Stars...perhaps.
The negatives: the dialogue between our protagonist, Jill, and her daughters! I was more than irritated by how annoying all three of her daughters came across, and I listened to this in audio format, so the voices for these three drove me absolutely crazy! Talk about whiny brats! I also felt like Jill was a little unrealistic in how perfect and level headed she was. The way several different characters spoke to her and her reactions to these constant verbal assaults just came off a bit phony! I also thought the ending was a bit far-fetched, but that's not always exactly a negative thing. I would recommend this to most fans of domestic dramas, thrillers (this one even had high-speed car chases!), and of course die-hard LS fans, like myself!
As previously mentioned, this one will most likely go towards the bottom of my LS reads but right about in the middle of my overall thrillers...I'm very interested to hear what other LS fans think her best and worst books are!
Onto the next great read!
The negatives: the dialogue between our protagonist, Jill, and her daughters! I was more than irritated by how annoying all three of her daughters came across, and I listened to this in audio format, so the voices for these three drove me absolutely crazy! Talk about whiny brats! I also felt like Jill was a little unrealistic in how perfect and level headed she was. The way several different characters spoke to her and her reactions to these constant verbal assaults just came off a bit phony! I also thought the ending was a bit far-fetched, but that's not always exactly a negative thing. I would recommend this to most fans of domestic dramas, thrillers (this one even had high-speed car chases!), and of course die-hard LS fans, like myself!
As previously mentioned, this one will most likely go towards the bottom of my LS reads but right about in the middle of my overall thrillers...I'm very interested to hear what other LS fans think her best and worst books are!
Onto the next great read!
August 13, 2012
Let’s state from the very first: This is a potboiler of a novel. It reads more like the script for a soap opera. It can’t make up its mind whether it’s a murder mystery, criminal investigation, or family saga. It shifts from one element to another without much consistency.
The plot involves Dr. Jill Farrow, a pediatrician with a 13-year-old daughter by her deceased first husband, divorced from her second husband with no contact with his two college-age daughters, and living with Sam Becker, about to become her third mate, who has a grown-up son living in Texas. Then one of her ex-stepdaughters shows up informing her that her ex is dead and that she suspects murder. This sets off a series of situations in which Dr. Farrow investigates the possibility of foul play. Meanwhile, interjected in the plot are various family problems, misunderstandings and crises.
There are a number of inaccuracies in the story, as well, but they can’t be cited without disclosing plot details. I guess a lot of tightening could have averted some of the over-plotting. The author certainly can write. But sometimes mommy doesn’t know best.
The plot involves Dr. Jill Farrow, a pediatrician with a 13-year-old daughter by her deceased first husband, divorced from her second husband with no contact with his two college-age daughters, and living with Sam Becker, about to become her third mate, who has a grown-up son living in Texas. Then one of her ex-stepdaughters shows up informing her that her ex is dead and that she suspects murder. This sets off a series of situations in which Dr. Farrow investigates the possibility of foul play. Meanwhile, interjected in the plot are various family problems, misunderstandings and crises.
There are a number of inaccuracies in the story, as well, but they can’t be cited without disclosing plot details. I guess a lot of tightening could have averted some of the over-plotting. The author certainly can write. But sometimes mommy doesn’t know best.
June 30, 2013
This is the dumbest book I have read in a really long time. I don't mind a bit of mindless reading during the summer, but I'm pretty sure I lost a few brain cells by forcing myself to finish this book. I am definitely not a fan of this type of novel, the type that reads like the screenplay for a Lifetime made-for-TV movie and is written in 8th grade level English, if that much. The author just throws us into the story w/o developing the characters at all, but then spends quite a bit of time giving us superficial information, such as what type of coffee maker they had in the family home, what brand of phone the main character carried, the exact noise made by her car alarm. The main character is not just poorly developed, she's nothing but a stereotype of the book smart woman who seems to have failed to aquire some common sense (and boundaries) along the way. And for the cherry on top, she's a "rescuer" who spends too mich time helping others with their emotional emergencies while her own relationships are "bleeding to death." If she were a real person I would slap some sense into her. It's all a shame b/c the plot for the murder mystery is actually quite riveting.
June 3, 2012
Oh boy - i really had to push on to get through this one. A doctor who is about to get married again suddenly gets a visit from her ex-stepdaughter - her ex is dead (was he MURDERED???) and reeks havoc on the hose. Soon-to-be-hubby isn't happy, docs own child takes second fiddle, her work suffers as well. But she is determined to find out what happened! The author is trying to tell us that just because we get a divorce, the love for the children doesn't end. I get that - the author is also trying to tell us that MOMS (who never stop loving!) can do anything! Including be a great mom, a detective, a great stepmom, etc. The author really beats this into you - how many times is she going to say the protagonist can do it because shes a "mom!" geez. This is great mom-mystery though.
Lastly, i did get annoyed with the doc because she refused to move on - in the end it was all good but a little hokey.
Lastly, i did get annoyed with the doc because she refused to move on - in the end it was all good but a little hokey.
January 7, 2018
This is not my favorite Scottoline. She is often a hit or miss for me, and this one was somewhere in between. I loved the "idea" of this story. Do you quit being a parent, how far will you go for your children? How much will you risk?
This is the story of a woman who has one marriage, that ended badly and left her estranged from the two girls that she had mothered. She is now with her own daughter and about to marry a wonderful man. She is smart and successful. Suddenly, one of the step daughters appears to let her know her ex husband is dead, and ask for her help because she thinks he was murdered. Of course, she is sucked in and almost loses everything to solve this mystery.
Great idea, and good suspense. But I think there were a few too many twists in the plot, a few that I did not need and made this a little unbelievable for me. I also did not really like many of the woman in this book, and I wanted to. I actually think "Beef" the dog may have been my favorite character. Just a bit too much "high, soap operaish drama" for me.
I will read Scottoline again, but this one was a bit of a disappointment for me. 3 stars.
This is the story of a woman who has one marriage, that ended badly and left her estranged from the two girls that she had mothered. She is now with her own daughter and about to marry a wonderful man. She is smart and successful. Suddenly, one of the step daughters appears to let her know her ex husband is dead, and ask for her help because she thinks he was murdered. Of course, she is sucked in and almost loses everything to solve this mystery.
Great idea, and good suspense. But I think there were a few too many twists in the plot, a few that I did not need and made this a little unbelievable for me. I also did not really like many of the woman in this book, and I wanted to. I actually think "Beef" the dog may have been my favorite character. Just a bit too much "high, soap operaish drama" for me.
I will read Scottoline again, but this one was a bit of a disappointment for me. 3 stars.
May 31, 2012
I always read Lisa Scottoline's books and always love them. However, I found this one to be okay, just not good. The story involves a doctor with a teenage daughter and a fiance, as well as two older step-daughters from a previous marriage. The story begins with an older daughter arriving one night, informing them that her father (the doctor's ex) has died and that she believes he was killed. The doctor begins looking into the death and finds a number of interesting things--many of which are very suspicious.
I found the doctor's character as well as her daughter well done and developed. However, I found the character of her fiance poorly develped and not very believable. He is immediately suspicious of the the step-daughters, the whole story and how his soon to be wife plunges right into the intrigue. I seriously think that a person who professes to love another and is marry would never act the way he does in the book. There is a time when the doctor begins to doubt whether they will even marry. If the doctor is really who the author protrays her to be, surely she had or saw signs of this type behavior before this big step, but the author gives no indication. In addition, though her fiance knows the doctor was the "mother" of the two older girls for years, he immediately intensely dislikes them both. I guess he does not realize that when you get into a relationship with someone who has children or step-children from another marriage (and they were her children, though they were step daughters--their own mother had died) you take the person with all his/her baggage, and that may mean understanding and accepting children who may have been in the background. I do not really understand how he could have gotten to where he is without giving that some thought, though it appears as if he hadn't. Again, if he is the well-educated, mature adult the author wants us to believe he is, how does he act so immaturely. One of the daughters initially is very much against the doctor, another facet I find very unrealistic. I might expect this of a youngster or teeneage, but this person is well past that stage. For someone her age and stature, she acts like some child who has not yet learned how to act in public.
The plot of her husband being murdered rather than dying of an accidental overdose is pooly constructed. The author has not developed the storyline well at all. In fact, I found myself wondering throughout most of the book how the author could have written this without, it seems, much research or study of how these things work, since there is such poor development, and a lot of what happens is not well presented or realistically done. It just lacks a sense of reality, of how things would just normally go down. Not one of her better books.
I found the doctor's character as well as her daughter well done and developed. However, I found the character of her fiance poorly develped and not very believable. He is immediately suspicious of the the step-daughters, the whole story and how his soon to be wife plunges right into the intrigue. I seriously think that a person who professes to love another and is marry would never act the way he does in the book. There is a time when the doctor begins to doubt whether they will even marry. If the doctor is really who the author protrays her to be, surely she had or saw signs of this type behavior before this big step, but the author gives no indication. In addition, though her fiance knows the doctor was the "mother" of the two older girls for years, he immediately intensely dislikes them both. I guess he does not realize that when you get into a relationship with someone who has children or step-children from another marriage (and they were her children, though they were step daughters--their own mother had died) you take the person with all his/her baggage, and that may mean understanding and accepting children who may have been in the background. I do not really understand how he could have gotten to where he is without giving that some thought, though it appears as if he hadn't. Again, if he is the well-educated, mature adult the author wants us to believe he is, how does he act so immaturely. One of the daughters initially is very much against the doctor, another facet I find very unrealistic. I might expect this of a youngster or teeneage, but this person is well past that stage. For someone her age and stature, she acts like some child who has not yet learned how to act in public.
The plot of her husband being murdered rather than dying of an accidental overdose is pooly constructed. The author has not developed the storyline well at all. In fact, I found myself wondering throughout most of the book how the author could have written this without, it seems, much research or study of how these things work, since there is such poor development, and a lot of what happens is not well presented or realistically done. It just lacks a sense of reality, of how things would just normally go down. Not one of her better books.
Shelved as 'dnf'
March 1, 2021DNF@15%
I listened to 15% of this audiobook. I stopped it a few times to go do other things...fine, I made up reason to do other things to stop it. I even stared at the wall for a few minutes before I worked up the courage to go back in. I've been pickier about what I will read. I have a TBR list that I will never complete so I don't have time to force myself to finish a book for the sake of finishing it. If it doesn't capture me then I am aborting mission.
I know as DNF (did not finish) you are thinking why would I still post a review? I think as a reviewer, I am not only helping the publisher and author with word of mouth, but more importantly I am letting fellow readers know my own opinion on a book. Good or bad, I think it's important to be honest about your reading experience (as long as you remain kind).
I started to think maybe I am being too picky and just writing this book off without a real chance. So, I turned to the Goodreads community. Wow, I have not seen so many 1 star ratings have such long reviews. Each one had the same issues I had with the novel, so I will not rehash it too much here. I was kind of curious on who the murderer was, or if it was just an accidental death, but in reading the reviews here, I totally lost that. The narrator doesn't really put much emotion into her reading so it just feels like a cold reading. Not that she has much to work with as the writing is a bit repetitive and a bit bland. I was a huge fan of Lisa Scottoline, especially with her legal thrillers - series and standalone. With her new standalone domestic suspense novels, I have probably disliked more than I have liked. I have finished them in the past but I just cannot push myself with this one or even with Don't Go. I am still a fan so I will always give her books a shot, but if it's looking like a miss, I may just abandon it so I don't come to resent it in my reviews.
I listened to 15% of this audiobook. I stopped it a few times to go do other things...fine, I made up reason to do other things to stop it. I even stared at the wall for a few minutes before I worked up the courage to go back in. I've been pickier about what I will read. I have a TBR list that I will never complete so I don't have time to force myself to finish a book for the sake of finishing it. If it doesn't capture me then I am aborting mission.
I know as DNF (did not finish) you are thinking why would I still post a review? I think as a reviewer, I am not only helping the publisher and author with word of mouth, but more importantly I am letting fellow readers know my own opinion on a book. Good or bad, I think it's important to be honest about your reading experience (as long as you remain kind).
I started to think maybe I am being too picky and just writing this book off without a real chance. So, I turned to the Goodreads community. Wow, I have not seen so many 1 star ratings have such long reviews. Each one had the same issues I had with the novel, so I will not rehash it too much here. I was kind of curious on who the murderer was, or if it was just an accidental death, but in reading the reviews here, I totally lost that. The narrator doesn't really put much emotion into her reading so it just feels like a cold reading. Not that she has much to work with as the writing is a bit repetitive and a bit bland. I was a huge fan of Lisa Scottoline, especially with her legal thrillers - series and standalone. With her new standalone domestic suspense novels, I have probably disliked more than I have liked. I have finished them in the past but I just cannot push myself with this one or even with Don't Go. I am still a fan so I will always give her books a shot, but if it's looking like a miss, I may just abandon it so I don't come to resent it in my reviews.
May 13, 2015
Jill Farrow’s stepdaughter from a previous marriage, Abby, arrives at her doorstep with the stunning news that Jill’s ex-husband has passed away. And further, Abby believes that her father was murdered.
Jill’s already complicated life suddenly becomes more complicated. Against the wishes of her new fiancé Sam, Jill begins to look into the circumstances of her ex husband’s death. She is concerned abut Abby and her sister and how they are handling the death. As she continues to investigate, she begins to suspect that she is being followed, and that perhaps she, and her daughters, might be in danger.
COME HOME is a thriller with chases, twists, and hints of conspiracies, and it succeeds as that. Ms. Scottoline’s novels are usually faced paced and exciting.
But COME HOME is about more than that. It examines the concept of family and family responsibilities. Jill leads a hectic life. She is a pediatrician for a medical firm and the case of one of her infant patients occupies her time. She has a thirteen-year-old daughter Megan from her first marriage who is dealing with the typical problems of a new teen-ager. Jill’s first husband had passed away and Megan basically knew only her stepfather as her parent. That stepfather has now died, giving Megan, and Jill, new issues to deal with. Jill has two stepdaughters from the second marriage, Abby and Victoria, each dealing in opposite ways with their father’s death.
But there’s even more. Jill’s relationship with her fiancé Sam is strained because he does not like her spending so much time worrying about Abby and Victoria and looking into the death of her previous husband. She should be thinking more about them and their new life together. Oh, and Sam has a son who will become part of her new family, if they form a new family.
Jill’s already complicated life suddenly becomes more complicated. Against the wishes of her new fiancé Sam, Jill begins to look into the circumstances of her ex husband’s death. She is concerned abut Abby and her sister and how they are handling the death. As she continues to investigate, she begins to suspect that she is being followed, and that perhaps she, and her daughters, might be in danger.
COME HOME is a thriller with chases, twists, and hints of conspiracies, and it succeeds as that. Ms. Scottoline’s novels are usually faced paced and exciting.
But COME HOME is about more than that. It examines the concept of family and family responsibilities. Jill leads a hectic life. She is a pediatrician for a medical firm and the case of one of her infant patients occupies her time. She has a thirteen-year-old daughter Megan from her first marriage who is dealing with the typical problems of a new teen-ager. Jill’s first husband had passed away and Megan basically knew only her stepfather as her parent. That stepfather has now died, giving Megan, and Jill, new issues to deal with. Jill has two stepdaughters from the second marriage, Abby and Victoria, each dealing in opposite ways with their father’s death.
But there’s even more. Jill’s relationship with her fiancé Sam is strained because he does not like her spending so much time worrying about Abby and Victoria and looking into the death of her previous husband. She should be thinking more about them and their new life together. Oh, and Sam has a son who will become part of her new family, if they form a new family.
June 29, 2012
I tried to like this book. I really did. Unfortunately despite my efforts, I didn't.
I am a mystery/suspense/thriller buff and this was so sappy, I felt embarrassed for the characters.
Jill Farrow seems to have her life together finally. Her beloved first husband had died and that not only caused her grief but caused her to have to give birth to daughter Megan alone (she found out she was pregnant a week after his death). Her next relationship with sleazy pharmaceutical rep William who all the women fantasized about but who was a crum bum ended disastrously. He was so angry with her that he forbid her any contact with his daughters Abby and Victoria though she was the only mother the two girls had ever known (their mom died when they were young)and loved them like her own.
Jill's fiance Sam, a medical researcher specializing in diabetes, lives with her and daughter Megan and is there when Abby stumbles in on a rainy night drunk and fully hysterical. She tells them that her father was murdered 4 days earlier. The police think it was suicide since he was full of pills but as both Abby and Jill know, William didn't take pills and had an aversion to it. He also did not drink alcohol from a bottle. This does seem odd.
That whole first set of chapters were like saccharin on paper. The most stupid, sappy, and painfully contrived conversations go on until you could just vomit or take a shot at the characters.
I hoped it would get better but this was Saccharin city through and through. Hey, NO ONE in the world talks like this. No one! While Abby was more than ready to go back to having Jill as her mumsy wumsy, Victoria is a cold, hard bitch. She is easily convinced that her father's death was suicide and to just get on with life. Actually, William's death was murder and Jill muddles along. The ending is as bad as the sappy beginning and as a diabetic, I felt like I needed to check my blood glucose levels after consuming all of this syrupy sugary mess. Recommended only to readers who think that Harlequin romances are high literature and who enjoy having sugar slopped on them.
I am a mystery/suspense/thriller buff and this was so sappy, I felt embarrassed for the characters.
Jill Farrow seems to have her life together finally. Her beloved first husband had died and that not only caused her grief but caused her to have to give birth to daughter Megan alone (she found out she was pregnant a week after his death). Her next relationship with sleazy pharmaceutical rep William who all the women fantasized about but who was a crum bum ended disastrously. He was so angry with her that he forbid her any contact with his daughters Abby and Victoria though she was the only mother the two girls had ever known (their mom died when they were young)and loved them like her own.
Jill's fiance Sam, a medical researcher specializing in diabetes, lives with her and daughter Megan and is there when Abby stumbles in on a rainy night drunk and fully hysterical. She tells them that her father was murdered 4 days earlier. The police think it was suicide since he was full of pills but as both Abby and Jill know, William didn't take pills and had an aversion to it. He also did not drink alcohol from a bottle. This does seem odd.
That whole first set of chapters were like saccharin on paper. The most stupid, sappy, and painfully contrived conversations go on until you could just vomit or take a shot at the characters.
I hoped it would get better but this was Saccharin city through and through. Hey, NO ONE in the world talks like this. No one! While Abby was more than ready to go back to having Jill as her mumsy wumsy, Victoria is a cold, hard bitch. She is easily convinced that her father's death was suicide and to just get on with life. Actually, William's death was murder and Jill muddles along. The ending is as bad as the sappy beginning and as a diabetic, I felt like I needed to check my blood glucose levels after consuming all of this syrupy sugary mess. Recommended only to readers who think that Harlequin romances are high literature and who enjoy having sugar slopped on them.
February 7, 2014
I’ve talked about this weakness of mine before. If I see a really awesome bargain on a hardcover book with the words, “New York Times Best Seller” on it, I’m gunna buy it. It’s a money draining habit of mine and I have books piled all over my apartment because of it. Sometimes the habit’s not so bad. I pick up some well-written books I probably would have never thought twice about before I saw the bargain price. It even helps me discover new authors to recommend their books to my book loving friends, which I enjoy doing…this book, however, is not one of them.
I have never read any Lisa Scottoline books before and a lot of the reviews online seemed to give her books quite the high rating. From reading the description of the story before me, I knew I was in for a very girly read about love and family, which isn’t really my cup of tea in novels. I decided to read it anyway to get a taste of the style of writing, to learn more about the author and simply to have a real opinion of her work. I like talking about books with other people. Believe it or not, bringing a book alone to a restaurant and sitting at a bar has always been a successful conversation starter by others, whether it be, “I LOVE that book!” or “Why in the world are you reading at a bar?” Funny thing is I talked with the guy so much who was appalled at my reading at a bar that we eventually shared our dinner plates and introduced each other and to his friends that were with him. We never saw each other again, but it was a very pleasant experience.
Anyway, back to the book. There was so much wrong with this book and it’s difficult to pinpoint the problems down to just one thing. I will say that I am not a mother and have not exactly experienced these feelings first hand, but I have been a daughter for quite some time, and we do not act this way. We do not say, “I love you” to our parents and siblings in every other paragraph. I did a lot of skimming through those paragraphs. I really don’t know how I managed through the entire novel. To be honest, I disliked EVERY single character, except maybe the dog, probably because he had very little character development.
This is my biggest problem with the book. The main character was the character I hated the most. Jill…she’s nosy, annoying, selfish, annoying, stupid, annoying… For the longest time, I blamed Jill. But I don’t think she was the problem. The real problem lies within the writing itself. That has to explain why I hated each character so much. No one in this story was likeable. Sure, Jill had the most character, and I could see the writer trying, but it was very difficult to feel sympathy or empathy for this chick.
She and Sam kept having the same fight over and over about having the ex stepdaughters live with them. If anything, I disliked Sam the least. He made the right move leaving as she relived her life with her dead ex. Okay, I’m going to try to mix some positive with the negative to spice things up a bit. Jill was a strong woman who still wanted to be there for her ex step-kids and I admire that. She did it by calling them all the time when Victoria clearly did not want her around and even telling them she loves them. I felt for Victoria. She was annoying too with her constant anger, but I couldn’t blame her. If I were stuck in a story like this I’d be trippin’ too.
I have to say, the random twists that this book occasionally provided did keep it interesting enough to keep going. I appreciated that. That’s what kept this book from being the worst book ever. I have read worse. But I am sad to say, this did make top 5 of worst stories I have ever read. I don’t know the age of the writer, but I kept getting this sense that she had to have been over middle aged. She seemed to try to have the characters talk like people would today, but she just didn’t capture it right. It really made this story feel very fake as I was reading it. Also, a tiny thing that caught my attention- not a big deal! But there was a moment in the book where Jill turned off the computer, and then turned it on and restarted it… you don’t turn off a computer just to tell it to Restart again. Maybe that’s not what she meant. Maybe she meant that Jill shut off the computer and started it back up again. Whatever happened, it should have been written differently.
Before I end this review, I will say that I do have somewhat of an idea as to why some people would enjoy this novel. Maybe it’ll be better for people who can actually relate to some of the characters or even parts of the story. I could not relate to it at all, which could be part of the reason I was displeased. It did have some intense moments that I did enjoy, kind of how I felt with Bella in the Twilight series, except that I didn’t hate Bella. I apologize for my negativity, but this is my honest personal review. I think this story had potential. It’s how the characters talked and interacted with each other that seemed very unreal to me.
I shall address one more issue as I conclude this review. The very first problem I discovered with this book was when my mom asked me how the book was when I started the first couple chapters. Everyone is crying over a dead family member…for the entire first two chapters. There should be a limit to crying in a novel, and the limit should be no more than two pages. The point will be made, and the story can progress forward. What made me remember this problem is the next day when my mom asked me if the book got any better, and I answered with pure and true excitement, “It did! Everyone stopped crying by chapter 6!”
April 6, 2020
I felt like this was a book version of a die hard movie. Full of action, drama and so unbelievable in places! Nevertheless a good read with never a dull moment.
May 16, 2012
Another great book. Full of suspense, (not very realistic, but who cares), keeps your interest.
Jill Farrow is a typical suburban mom who has finally gotten her and her daughter's lives back on track after a divorce. She is about to remarry, her job as a pediatrician fulfills her---though it is stressful---and her daughter, Megan, is a happily over-scheduled thirteen-year-old juggling homework and the swim team.
But Jill’s life is turned upside down when her ex-stepdaughter, Abby, shows up on her doorstep late one night and delivers shocking news: Jill’s ex-husband is dead. Abby insists that he was murdered and pleads with Jill to help find his killer. Jill reluctantly agrees to make a few inquiries and discovers that things don’t add up. As she digs deeper, her actions threaten to rip apart her new family, destroy their hard-earned happiness, and even endanger her own life. Yet Jill can’t turn her back on a child she loves and once called her own.
Come Home reads with the breakneck pacing of a thriller while also exploring the definition of motherhood, asking the questions: Do you ever stop being a mother? Can you ever have an ex-child? What are the limits to love of family?
Jill Farrow is a typical suburban mom who has finally gotten her and her daughter's lives back on track after a divorce. She is about to remarry, her job as a pediatrician fulfills her---though it is stressful---and her daughter, Megan, is a happily over-scheduled thirteen-year-old juggling homework and the swim team.
But Jill’s life is turned upside down when her ex-stepdaughter, Abby, shows up on her doorstep late one night and delivers shocking news: Jill’s ex-husband is dead. Abby insists that he was murdered and pleads with Jill to help find his killer. Jill reluctantly agrees to make a few inquiries and discovers that things don’t add up. As she digs deeper, her actions threaten to rip apart her new family, destroy their hard-earned happiness, and even endanger her own life. Yet Jill can’t turn her back on a child she loves and once called her own.
Come Home reads with the breakneck pacing of a thriller while also exploring the definition of motherhood, asking the questions: Do you ever stop being a mother? Can you ever have an ex-child? What are the limits to love of family?
May 23, 2017
Quick review for a somewhat lengthy read. I'm actually asking myself in the hours after finishing the book: What on Earth did I just read?
I haven't read many of Lisa Scottoline's books, but admittedly it's been a while and this is the most recent example I can go on. It's...definitely not the first book I would recommend anyone read from this author. I feel like it was an entertaining read but also a complete waste of time. (That sounds like a contradiction in itself, but I'll explain shortly.) So much of this book annoyed me to heck and back - mostly for how over the top and non-cohesive it was. The dialogue in some stretches is completely unrealistic and cringe-worthy. I guess the entertaining aspect of it lies in that it plays out like a soap opera - with the main character running to and fro searching for answers that absolutely no one asked, and one calamity building upon another to ramp up the action and conflict to march forcefully through its conclusion. There are times when I like this kind of story if it can poke fun at itself or just proves entertaining to watch with the characters who make the story more than the bones it stands upon. But "Come Home" was the true definition of a false advertisement of a book if I ever started one.
The story centers around Jill, a pediatrician who's adjusting to life with a new fiance and her daughter. Yet, Abby, Jill's estranged ex-stepdaughter comes bounding to her doorstep one rainy night to proclaim that her father's dead and that someone killed him. This sets off a chain of events that lead to Abby's disappearance, and Jill's desperate search to find her. Only...the search for Abby takes up a good portion of this story, but it's just one thread among several microconflicts that don't really reach satisfying conclusions. "Come Home" dangles false carrots of conflict in front of you, leading you in one direction, but just when you reach a climatic point that promises some answers, the answers lead in another direction that doesn't really have much to do with the original thread of conflict and seems to get weaker and less intriguing as it goes on. I felt like part of it was Jill's utter recklessness and stupidity in approaching every mystery around her, and what she finds just happens to hit the mark in some way without really having any kind of payoff.
In retrospect, I really didn't like most of the characters in this novel, including Jill. I did like Sam and Jill's friend (mostly because they were the ones who had the most sense), but everyone else was annoying as heck in speaking voice as well as contributing to the microconflicts and unreliable narrators here. I wish I could've believed in them or had a good laugh at them, but in the end, the dramatics were lain on far too thick - and the characters far too grating - for me to enjoy this more. I will say it kept me reading and wanting to see what would happen, but I took far too much time on the audiobook and overarching story than the story paid off in the experience. I probably wouldn't pick up this book again, once was enough.
Overall score: 1.5/5 stars.
I haven't read many of Lisa Scottoline's books, but admittedly it's been a while and this is the most recent example I can go on. It's...definitely not the first book I would recommend anyone read from this author. I feel like it was an entertaining read but also a complete waste of time. (That sounds like a contradiction in itself, but I'll explain shortly.) So much of this book annoyed me to heck and back - mostly for how over the top and non-cohesive it was. The dialogue in some stretches is completely unrealistic and cringe-worthy. I guess the entertaining aspect of it lies in that it plays out like a soap opera - with the main character running to and fro searching for answers that absolutely no one asked, and one calamity building upon another to ramp up the action and conflict to march forcefully through its conclusion. There are times when I like this kind of story if it can poke fun at itself or just proves entertaining to watch with the characters who make the story more than the bones it stands upon. But "Come Home" was the true definition of a false advertisement of a book if I ever started one.
The story centers around Jill, a pediatrician who's adjusting to life with a new fiance and her daughter. Yet, Abby, Jill's estranged ex-stepdaughter comes bounding to her doorstep one rainy night to proclaim that her father's dead and that someone killed him. This sets off a chain of events that lead to Abby's disappearance, and Jill's desperate search to find her. Only...the search for Abby takes up a good portion of this story, but it's just one thread among several microconflicts that don't really reach satisfying conclusions. "Come Home" dangles false carrots of conflict in front of you, leading you in one direction, but just when you reach a climatic point that promises some answers, the answers lead in another direction that doesn't really have much to do with the original thread of conflict and seems to get weaker and less intriguing as it goes on. I felt like part of it was Jill's utter recklessness and stupidity in approaching every mystery around her, and what she finds just happens to hit the mark in some way without really having any kind of payoff.
In retrospect, I really didn't like most of the characters in this novel, including Jill. I did like Sam and Jill's friend (mostly because they were the ones who had the most sense), but everyone else was annoying as heck in speaking voice as well as contributing to the microconflicts and unreliable narrators here. I wish I could've believed in them or had a good laugh at them, but in the end, the dramatics were lain on far too thick - and the characters far too grating - for me to enjoy this more. I will say it kept me reading and wanting to see what would happen, but I took far too much time on the audiobook and overarching story than the story paid off in the experience. I probably wouldn't pick up this book again, once was enough.
Overall score: 1.5/5 stars.
June 7, 2014
This is the first book by Lisa Scottoline that I have read and I was pleasantly surprised.
COME HOME is a thriller with twists, unexpected turns and hints of conspiracies, and it succeeds as that. But COME HOME is about more than that. It examines the concept of family and family responsibilities. Jill leads a hectic life. She is a pediatrician for a medical firm and the case of one of her infant patients occupies her time. She has a thirteen-year-old daughter Megan from her first marriage who is dealing with the typical problems of a new teen-ager. Jill’s first husband had passed away and Megan basically knew only her stepfather as her parent. That stepfather has now died, giving Megan, and Jill, new issues to deal with. Jill has two stepdaughters from the second marriage, Abby and Victoria, each dealing in opposite ways with their father’s death.
But there’s even more. Jill’s relationship with her fiancé Sam is strained because he does not like her spending so much time worrying about Abby and Victoria and looking into the death of her previous husband. She should be thinking more about them and their new life together. Oh, and Sam has a son who will become part of her new family, if they form a new family.
Come Home was an easy read and kept my interest the entire time. I looked forward to picking the book up again and had a hard time putting it down. I really enjoyed the touch of human emotion that Scottoline weaves into the characters. Scottoline did a great job of capturing a mother's love, fears, and hopes that many mother's can relate to.
COME HOME is a thriller with twists, unexpected turns and hints of conspiracies, and it succeeds as that. But COME HOME is about more than that. It examines the concept of family and family responsibilities. Jill leads a hectic life. She is a pediatrician for a medical firm and the case of one of her infant patients occupies her time. She has a thirteen-year-old daughter Megan from her first marriage who is dealing with the typical problems of a new teen-ager. Jill’s first husband had passed away and Megan basically knew only her stepfather as her parent. That stepfather has now died, giving Megan, and Jill, new issues to deal with. Jill has two stepdaughters from the second marriage, Abby and Victoria, each dealing in opposite ways with their father’s death.
But there’s even more. Jill’s relationship with her fiancé Sam is strained because he does not like her spending so much time worrying about Abby and Victoria and looking into the death of her previous husband. She should be thinking more about them and their new life together. Oh, and Sam has a son who will become part of her new family, if they form a new family.
Come Home was an easy read and kept my interest the entire time. I looked forward to picking the book up again and had a hard time putting it down. I really enjoyed the touch of human emotion that Scottoline weaves into the characters. Scottoline did a great job of capturing a mother's love, fears, and hopes that many mother's can relate to.
March 8, 2013
Here's the thing about Come Home: taken on its own, it's a good book. Nothing life-changing, slightly forgettable, but a good solid piece of fiction on similar footing with Jodi Picoult, with reasonably three-dimensional characters, a decent plot, good writing, and great momentum, plus a little more depth than the cheesy cover would imply. Should that be the end of it? I don't know.
Here's the problem with Come Home: it reads like it and Save Me, also by Scottoline, were entries for a writing contest with very narrow restrictions: book must be about a suburban mom who finds herself in over her head solving crime, a school-aged daughter, a trusty dog with a funny name, a husband/fiance who wants her to leave the mystery alone, corporate corruption, someone who spends most of the book irate with her, and an ending of a certain sort that I won't give away here. Would both books be solid submissions? Absolutely. But they're almost the exact same book.
I'm not sure if this holds for Scottoline's other books, but for me the bottom line at this point is that she's a good author, but I'd really like to see her extend her skills beyond the same formula, even if it's a good one.
Here's the problem with Come Home: it reads like it and Save Me, also by Scottoline, were entries for a writing contest with very narrow restrictions: book must be about a suburban mom who finds herself in over her head solving crime, a school-aged daughter, a trusty dog with a funny name, a husband/fiance who wants her to leave the mystery alone, corporate corruption, someone who spends most of the book irate with her, and an ending of a certain sort that I won't give away here. Would both books be solid submissions? Absolutely. But they're almost the exact same book.
I'm not sure if this holds for Scottoline's other books, but for me the bottom line at this point is that she's a good author, but I'd really like to see her extend her skills beyond the same formula, even if it's a good one.
May 9, 2012
Normally I love Lisa Scottoline books. This one is the 1st one that made me wish I hadn't spent time reading it. The characters seemed very whiny & clueless about what was going on in their lives. They also had some major personality changes during the course of the book which really annoyed me & took away from what plot was actually there. Everything seems forced & rushed except for the dramas between characters.
I enjoy reading Lisa Scottoline's books because she writes strong, independent woman characters. This book had no one like that.
I started the book as an audiobook but quickly changed to the print edition. The narrator made the characters even more whiny & pathetic. If you really want to read this book, borrow it because it's not worth buying at all. Then find one of the earlier books & really enjoy a good story with fantastic characters.
I enjoy reading Lisa Scottoline's books because she writes strong, independent woman characters. This book had no one like that.
I started the book as an audiobook but quickly changed to the print edition. The narrator made the characters even more whiny & pathetic. If you really want to read this book, borrow it because it's not worth buying at all. Then find one of the earlier books & really enjoy a good story with fantastic characters.
June 1, 2016
Jill has her life all sorted. She has a rewarding career as a paediatrician, a lovely over-achieving thirteen year old daughter, and a handsome and caring fiancé.
But Jill’s life is turned upside down when her ex-stepdaughter, Abby, shows up on her doorstep late one night and delivers shocking news: Jill’s ex-husband is dead. Abby insists that he was murdered and pleads with Jill to help find his killer. Jill reluctantly agrees to make a few inquiries to placate Abby, whom she is sure is merely over-reacting, and discovers that things don’t add up. As she digs deeper, her actions threaten to rip apart her new family and destroy their hard-earned happiness.
This was okay, a bit schmaltzy in places, but a pleasant, non-taxing read/listen.
But Jill’s life is turned upside down when her ex-stepdaughter, Abby, shows up on her doorstep late one night and delivers shocking news: Jill’s ex-husband is dead. Abby insists that he was murdered and pleads with Jill to help find his killer. Jill reluctantly agrees to make a few inquiries to placate Abby, whom she is sure is merely over-reacting, and discovers that things don’t add up. As she digs deeper, her actions threaten to rip apart her new family and destroy their hard-earned happiness.
This was okay, a bit schmaltzy in places, but a pleasant, non-taxing read/listen.
September 8, 2012
I have heard about Lisa for years and thought I would give her a try.
Was not impressed with this book and then saw that it was her 18th so maybe it was just me.
I just have issues with this book - I understand she was trying to solve a mystery but the lack of parenting just rubbed me the wrong way and then the twist of Mega and the boy, the one patient we heard about out of all of her patients, just so many little things that didn't sit well with me.
I think I will stick with Danielle Steele, Nora Roberts, Debbie Macomber.
Was not impressed with this book and then saw that it was her 18th so maybe it was just me.
I just have issues with this book - I understand she was trying to solve a mystery but the lack of parenting just rubbed me the wrong way and then the twist of Mega and the boy, the one patient we heard about out of all of her patients, just so many little things that didn't sit well with me.
I think I will stick with Danielle Steele, Nora Roberts, Debbie Macomber.
August 14, 2018
My first Scottoline was a lukewarm success. Although I quite liked the MC, Dr. Jill Farrow, and her minor complications (a doctor who actually wants to treat her patients and not focus on the soulless business structure of the practice, a woman with an ex-husband who just died and 2 "ex"- stepdaughters both of whom she craved communication from, but was turned away after a lie from their father), if I hadn't had ample time over the weekend for an audiobook, I might not have slogged through to the end waiting for something to happen. I had some higher expectations of action based on Scottoline's reputation so I was frustrated with the tedium as Jill slowly falls down the rabbit hole trying to uncover what was possibly a nefarious death, rather than an overdose.
One of her former stepdaughters approaches Jill in her new life, with her daughter and fiancé, and is bereft and suspicious, sparking a curiosity in Jill which persists even when her new relationship, her practice, even her life, are all threatened. She refuses to stop investigating once she's started (a respectable quality) and at that point I was on the edge of my seat, finally excited for a delectable end. I sort of got it. There were several intense chapters as the story concluded but I put it down wondering if I actually believed this woman would have really done what she did in order to nail down what happened to her ex, if she really had it in her.
One of her former stepdaughters approaches Jill in her new life, with her daughter and fiancé, and is bereft and suspicious, sparking a curiosity in Jill which persists even when her new relationship, her practice, even her life, are all threatened. She refuses to stop investigating once she's started (a respectable quality) and at that point I was on the edge of my seat, finally excited for a delectable end. I sort of got it. There were several intense chapters as the story concluded but I put it down wondering if I actually believed this woman would have really done what she did in order to nail down what happened to her ex, if she really had it in her.
March 2, 2021
It’s been a year or so since I’ve delved into Lisa Scottoline’s backlist and I felt like taking a deep dive this morning. This one was good. Kind of a mess. But I think all of Lisa’s older books are kind of a mess structurally 😂😅. Her writing and character development has gotten significantly better in the last decade, but this was still a very entertaining story, and I actually didn’t guess the murderer. So kudos!
3.75 ⭐️
3.75 ⭐️
June 11, 2012
I have always been a fan of Lisa Scottoline's books ever since I picked up her book "Daddy's Girl" and from then on I read my way through her legal thrillers. Her latest two novels though have been different , though they still have a heavy legal focus. The way they have been written have reminded me of Jane Green with the strong emotional bonds and in a way Come Home reminded me of A Patchwork Marriage by Jane Green and of Jodi Picoult's with the touching and writing of strong issues that surround families.
Come Home tells the tale of Jill who years ago had what she thought was the perfect family for her and her daughter Megan. A father - William Skyler and two step-sisters Victoria and Abby. Everything was fine until a deep betrayal hit Jill and forced Jill and William to separate. Jill took off with Megan and William and his two daughters went their separate ways. Now years later Jill is living her life with her great fiancé Sam and her daughter Megan, they are finally a family. Nothing can break what they have or will their relationship crumble , when Jill receives a knock and a blast from the past. It's her ex-stepdaughter Abby , her father has been murdered yet it has been ruled as a suicide and she wants Jill to help her solve the case. Can Jill stand by and let Abby get hurt even more or will she decide to help Abby ? The decision starts to cause a major rift between Sam and Jill as Sam believes that Abby is no longer Jill's responsibility but can someone who you have looked after and mothered be turned away, is it really possible to switch off the emotion of caring and helping them ?
As Jill and Abby get along the investigation, it seems somebody wants them to stop and unless they stop , they may end up like William Skyler - dead six feet under.
Can Jill stop her investigation and be there for her daughter Megan or will Jill realise that as Megan is her daughter, so is Abby and Victoria in their own ways.
Come Home holds that mystery element but is really aimed at the theme of "When is enough , enough and what lengths would you go to save your child or someone you once loved , even if they aren't your own flesh and blood ? "
A great story that readers of Jane Green , Jodi Picoult , Rosamund Lupton and Lesley Pearse will enjoy.
Come Home tells the tale of Jill who years ago had what she thought was the perfect family for her and her daughter Megan. A father - William Skyler and two step-sisters Victoria and Abby. Everything was fine until a deep betrayal hit Jill and forced Jill and William to separate. Jill took off with Megan and William and his two daughters went their separate ways. Now years later Jill is living her life with her great fiancé Sam and her daughter Megan, they are finally a family. Nothing can break what they have or will their relationship crumble , when Jill receives a knock and a blast from the past. It's her ex-stepdaughter Abby , her father has been murdered yet it has been ruled as a suicide and she wants Jill to help her solve the case. Can Jill stand by and let Abby get hurt even more or will she decide to help Abby ? The decision starts to cause a major rift between Sam and Jill as Sam believes that Abby is no longer Jill's responsibility but can someone who you have looked after and mothered be turned away, is it really possible to switch off the emotion of caring and helping them ?
As Jill and Abby get along the investigation, it seems somebody wants them to stop and unless they stop , they may end up like William Skyler - dead six feet under.
Can Jill stop her investigation and be there for her daughter Megan or will Jill realise that as Megan is her daughter, so is Abby and Victoria in their own ways.
Come Home holds that mystery element but is really aimed at the theme of "When is enough , enough and what lengths would you go to save your child or someone you once loved , even if they aren't your own flesh and blood ? "
A great story that readers of Jane Green , Jodi Picoult , Rosamund Lupton and Lesley Pearse will enjoy.
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July 19, 2013I can't even bring myself to give this book one star. I've read all of her books related to the law firm and love them. She has since detoured from this series and seems to be writing about her life as a mother and relationships with children. I'm not a mother of anything destined to walk on 2 legs but I was a child once with a mother so I think I'm capable of relating, if just a little bit. And I've been a stepchild - a few times.
This story line is a bad fantasy that consistently brought to mind a Lifetime movie. I'm not a fan of Lifetime movies. An engaged pediatrician with a 13-year old daughter gets pulled into a murder mystery surrounding her dirt bag ex husband. I found the defense of her actions to be weak and the theme of "mom as superhero" to be trite. Her step children are characterized as angry, immature people who are technically adults but will always remain children in the eyes of a loved one. Why she treats them as such I don't know. Every misjudged, misunderstood character does a miraculous 180 by the close of the book. Every aspect is tied up neatly in a bow with the most outlandish conclusions given.
I can tell that I'm not enjoying a book when the actions of the main character make me aggravated. Her search for the truth resulted in her making stupid decisions time and again with the excuse that she was helping her step daughters. When the main character has to make up excuses you know it's not going well.
Pediatrician/mom turned detective for the love of her children has the potential to work I suppose but certainly not in this case. This book seems to be a gift to her a stepchildren and its a nice gesture but she could have done so much better.
This story line is a bad fantasy that consistently brought to mind a Lifetime movie. I'm not a fan of Lifetime movies. An engaged pediatrician with a 13-year old daughter gets pulled into a murder mystery surrounding her dirt bag ex husband. I found the defense of her actions to be weak and the theme of "mom as superhero" to be trite. Her step children are characterized as angry, immature people who are technically adults but will always remain children in the eyes of a loved one. Why she treats them as such I don't know. Every misjudged, misunderstood character does a miraculous 180 by the close of the book. Every aspect is tied up neatly in a bow with the most outlandish conclusions given.
I can tell that I'm not enjoying a book when the actions of the main character make me aggravated. Her search for the truth resulted in her making stupid decisions time and again with the excuse that she was helping her step daughters. When the main character has to make up excuses you know it's not going well.
Pediatrician/mom turned detective for the love of her children has the potential to work I suppose but certainly not in this case. This book seems to be a gift to her a stepchildren and its a nice gesture but she could have done so much better.
September 14, 2012
I would give this one a 4 1/2. I have to admit I am loving the new direction that Lisa Scottoline has taken her novels to. I have read a lot of her books and while I loved the books before, the last couple have woven the mystery with more of an emotional touch.
Jills exhusband passed away and his daughter Abby is convinced its murder. Jill was a mother to Abby and her sister Victoria but with Williams manipulation, she and her daughter Megan became estranged from Abby and Victoria. When Abby reaches out to Jill, she is swept up in The mystery of what really happened to William. She is thrilled to be back in the lives of her ex step daughters but hits a brick wall with Victoria who isn't happy to be anywhere near her. She is a busy pediatrician facing pressures at work. The police won't listen or take anything seriously and she is having a constant battle with her fiancée Sam who wants no part of Abby and Victoria. Many times I wanted to smack Sam who was being so obnoxious and when he seems to have a sudden change of heart towards the end of the book I didn't really buy it. It's a very emotional book dealing with the question of what are you supposed to do when your step family is no longer your family. There are no blood ties but the emotional bond doesn't disappear because a marriage ended. A mother can be a mother with all the maternal feelings even if there is no blood tie, the feelings just can't be turned off.
Great book. I always look forward to this authors new releases.
Jills exhusband passed away and his daughter Abby is convinced its murder. Jill was a mother to Abby and her sister Victoria but with Williams manipulation, she and her daughter Megan became estranged from Abby and Victoria. When Abby reaches out to Jill, she is swept up in The mystery of what really happened to William. She is thrilled to be back in the lives of her ex step daughters but hits a brick wall with Victoria who isn't happy to be anywhere near her. She is a busy pediatrician facing pressures at work. The police won't listen or take anything seriously and she is having a constant battle with her fiancée Sam who wants no part of Abby and Victoria. Many times I wanted to smack Sam who was being so obnoxious and when he seems to have a sudden change of heart towards the end of the book I didn't really buy it. It's a very emotional book dealing with the question of what are you supposed to do when your step family is no longer your family. There are no blood ties but the emotional bond doesn't disappear because a marriage ended. A mother can be a mother with all the maternal feelings even if there is no blood tie, the feelings just can't be turned off.
Great book. I always look forward to this authors new releases.
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